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Teen Who Lost Family to COVID: Trump's Tweet "Slap in the Face"; Doctor: Trump Reports "No Symptoms" Today, Vitals "Stable"; Coronavirus Updates from Across the Country; Wild, Consequential Week with Just 28 Days Until Election. Aired 1:30-2p ET
Aired October 06, 2020 - 13:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
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[13:31:13]
BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Health experts say the president's messaging about his coronavirus diagnosis is dangerous. But many people who lost loved ones to the pandemic are having a more personal reaction. They're finding his comments to be cruel.
My next guests have been speaking out about the president's response to the pandemic.
In the short film, "Maddy's Grandparents, A Preventable COVID Tragedy," Maddy Kaji and her father talk about lives of her grandparents and what happened after they each contracted COVID-19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ARJUN KAJI, FLORIDA RADIOLOGIST WHO LOST HIS PARENTS AFTER COVID DIAGNOSIS: My father's biggest concern the last few years of his life was taking care of my mother.
MADDELENA KAJI, MADE SHORT FILM ABOUT IMPACT OF COVID ON GRANDPARENTS, BOTH LATER DIED: She also had coronavirus.
DR. KAJI: Our focus immediately turned to my mother.
M. KAJI: But she survived that first time. And in August, she committed suicide. That was really hard. So we lost both of them in a span of three months.
DR. KAJI: As a child, it just feels like that was the second COVID- related fatality. That was another crushing blow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KEILAR: And Maddalena and her father, Dr. Arjun Kaji, are with me now to talk about this.
Look, I'm so sorry for the loss of your grandparents and parents, Arjun. The magnitude of the loss, I think it is very important we acknowledge it.
I just want to know starting with you, Maddy, tell us how you feel when you hear what the president says.
M. KAJI: I mean, it is just shocking. I can expect people my age saying things that aren't necessarily true. But when the president of the United States is trying to invalidate the grief you feel, it is a lot.
KEILAR: And, Arjun, what do you think as you hear him?
DR. KAJI: Well, you know, the initial reaction was sort of how insane it is. Just watching him be in the hospital, watching him fall ill.
And then for him to say that, I mean, it pour salt on the wounds of the loss that we have been through and the loss that 200,000 other families -- and that's a small number, not just people that died, people that are suffering with COVID, it is rubbing salt in their wounds.
And to be honest with you, it felt like that every day since April, since my father passed watching people lie about masks, minimize the issue, call it a hoax. Every time I see that it is insulting.
And to have it come from the leader of the country where my father spent his whole life, it's just beyond words. I have no words.
KEILAR: What would you both want to hear from a president? What do you need to hear? What do families that lost loved ones need to hear?
M. KAJI: You know, I don't need the president to bow down, tell me how sorry he is. I want him to institute the proper policies to prevent this from happening to other families.
We know, we've seen what happens when you're irresponsible. It is not fair. I don't need President Trump to tell me he's sorry and he feels bad, I need him to grow up and do the right thing. Do his job.
KEILAR: What do you think the government needs to be doing, Doctor?
DR. KAJI: I mean, the horrible thing is this could have been a slam dunk. The federal government is primed. It could have marshalled resources in February and March, done contact tracing, instituted national testing. None of that happened.
The thing, it is easy, you wear max masks, distance, wash hands. You look out for your fellow man.
[13:35:04]
I can't bring my dad back. I can't bring my mom back either. But you know, there's no need for this many people to have died.
And unfortunately, from his tweets -- his tweets are, to be frank, they're dangerous. They take people and make them believe there's no risk. There's a direct causative effect between that, people falling ill and dying.
They're dangerous. They're not just insane.
KEILAR: Dr. Kaji, Maddelena, I really want to thank you both. I'm so sorry for what you're going through every day since losing your grandparents and you parents. You've had something important taken from you and I'm sorry.
M. KAJI: Thanks.
DR. KAJI: Thank you.
KEILAR: The White House is refusing the CDC's help to contact trace in its cluster, even though the outbreak may be widespread.
Plus, just in, a grim prediction from the Federal Reserve, warning of economic tragedy if America can't control the virus.
And a serious new punishment if NFL teams fail to comply with COVID rules.
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[13:41:00]
KEILAR: President Trump's doctor today giving yet another upbeat assessment of his patient's health. Dr. Sean Conley issued this statement a short time ago.
He writes that the president's medical team met with him at the White House. He says that, "The president had a restful first night and is reporting no problems. His vital signs remain stable and his ambulatory oxygen saturation is 95 to 97 percent. Overall, he continues to do extremely well."
Joining me now is Dr. Richina Bicette of the Baylor College of Medicine.
Dr. Bicette, it's great to see you again.
Hope you can take us through the statement from the president's doctor because he starts by saying he releases information with permission of the president. What does that say to you?
DR. RICHINA BICETTE, MEDICAL DIRECTOR & ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: That says to me the president is being very tactful and very deliberate about the information he wants to give the American people.
Dr. Conley had a press conference just a few days ago where he cited HIPPA rules as the reason he couldn't give some information about the president.
So it's interesting to see how he is using HIPPA, which is not the purpose of the rule and not how the law should be applied. I think the president and his team are trying to paint the picture
that they want the American people to see. But those of us in the medical community are scratching our heads, are quite disbelieving of some of the things we're hearing and seeing.
KEILAR: And he also -- the doctor, wrote that, quote, "Today" -- meaning the president -- "reports no symptoms."
That wording, does it stand out to you, the president reports no symptoms?
BICETTE: The president can report anything that he would like. He can be severely short of breath and tell anyone he doesn't feel short of breath. He can say he doesn't have pain and there's no way to figure that out.
We did get a report of what the president's vital signs are, and that's objective. He has no way to kind of change those stats.
But there are lots of things he could be feeling that he may not be reporting. So, no, that doesn't give me any information at all.
KEILAR: And 95 to 97 percent oxygen. What about that?
BICETTE: That's a normal oxygen saturation.
But what doesn't make sense, Brianna, a lot of the medications the president was given during his stay at Walter Reed are medications that are typically only given to patients with at least moderate to severe COVID-19 infection.
Specifically, Dexamethasone is something that we only give to patients once they're persistently hypoxic or have low oxygen saturation levels.
If we were to believe Dr. Conley and the information that was given in the press conference, the president only dropped oxygen numbers one or two times and he recovered after being on oxygen only an hour.
So why is he getting these medications that are supposed to be used for people with severe disease?
KEILAR: Yesterday, I heard him say several -- he seemed to say several small drops, I think, was what he said. It seems like he was given oxygen maybe a couple of times.
Now it is raising questions about if he's minimized the description of the president's oxygen level dropping.
Dr. Conley also said this, quote, "Overall, he continues to do extremely well."
That's not a medical term. What do you make of that?
BICETTE: I would hope that he is doing extremely well. He has gotten the equivalent of the medical kitchen sink thrown at him, cutting edge biotechnologies that the average American can't begin to think they have access to. So I would hope that he is doing well.
But what we would really like to hear is more objective information. Dr. Conley has wavered and deflected when asked specific questions during press conferences, giving HIPPA as the reason he doesn't want to say certain things.
Be honest and say the president doesn't want you to tell the American people how he is truly doing.
What did lung scans show? Does he have pneumonia? Is he currently on oxygen? Just because oxygen saturations are 95 to 97 percent right now, have they been persistently normal? He is now having drops in his oxygen numbers?
[13:45:08]
They're being very select about the information they're putting out. And it's just adding to the air of mystery and distrust the American people are feeling with this administration.
KEILAR: Dr. Bicette, great to see you. Thanks for being with us.
BICETTE: Thank you for having me, Brianna.
KEILAR: Coming up, the Fed chair warns of an economic tragedy if America can't control coronavirus.
And COVID's impact on the movie industry. Big releases like "Batman" pushed back by a year. Other films are not even getting a release date.
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[13:50:05]
KEILAR: A grim warning today from the head of the Federal Reserve. Chairman Jerome Powell says America is on the long road to recovery but warns of economic tragedy if the U.S. can't get the coronavirus pandemic under control.
He says the impacts of a new significant COVID wave could lead to a slowdown in economic activity and it could lead to more job losses.
For other COVID-19 headlines, let's check in with some of our correspondents across the country.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Christine Romans in New York. With polls widening, Wall Street is growing more comfortable with the possibility of a Joe Biden win, and even a blue wave in November.
Goldman Sachs told clients Monday, "Democrats gaining unified control of Washington raises the chances of a fiscal stimulus package of at least $2 trillion, and longer-term spending on infrastructure, climate, health care and education."
Goldman acknowledges a blue wave would likely mean higher corporate taxes but a Democratic sweep would mean easier U.S. fiscal policy and less risk of new trade tensions. Good for investors.
ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Andy Scholes in Milton, Georgia, where the NFL is reminding teams to not get complacent or lazy when it comes to COVID-19 protocols. If they do, they could face harsh penalties.
In a memo obtained by CNN, Roger Goodell warns teams that failure to follow protocols to have to forfeit games or loosing draft picks.
The league is also installing video monitoring systems to make sure teams are following the rules.
Player gatherings outside of team facilities are now also banned. That some of the players on the Raiders were fined for not wearing masks at a fundraising event last month.
CHLOE MELAS, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: I'm Chloe Melas in New York. The "Batman" movie has been delayed yet again due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The film's movie studio, Warner Brothers Pictures, confirmed to CNN the film that was expected October 2021 has now been pushed back to March of 2022. Like CNN, Warner Brothers Pictures is owned by Warner Media.
Last month's production was shut down after the film's star, Robert Pattinson, tested positive for COVID-19.
This news comes on the heels of other major film releases being pushed back.
Along with the announcement from Regal and Cineworld Theaters that they would be suspending operations at their movie theaters in the United States and the U.K. until further notice.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KEILAR: Thank you so much to my colleagues for that.
Breaking news. All but one member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have gone into quarantine after a top Coast Guard official tested positive for the coronavirus.
Plus, why the White House is turning down help from the CDC to contact trace after multiple staffers test positive.
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[13:57:31]
KEILAR: Twenty-eight days until Election Day. One candidate just left the hospital and the other is on the trail. And as the yard signs say, what a year this week has been.
Over the past 10 days, the president's former campaign manager and senior adviser stepped down after a reported suicide attempt and subsequent arrest caught on camera.
The president named a Supreme Court nominee. That no-mask, non- socially distanced event that took place inside the White House as well as outside is now being called a super spreader.
The "New York Times" revealing the president's long-concealed tax information, including crippling debt and years of paying no income tax and years where he paid a meager $750.
The first presidential debate turned into a debacle of yelling, interrupting and insults where the president would not condemn white supremacists.
The president, when asked about the election, he refused to say that he would accept results of the election. And he told his supporters to stand watch at the polls.
Moderna, one of the vaccine makers, contradicted the president and revealed a vaccine won't be widely available until next spring, even though CNN reports Trump is pressuring CEOs to speed things up.
Major American companies, including two of the biggest airlines, laid off tens of thousands of workers.
And week and still no health care plan that would replace Obamacare, which is now on the chopping block before the Supreme Court with another conservative judge likely to take the bench.
The president held a rally in Minnesota with thousands of people crowded together. The president attended a fundraiser in New Jersey despite a top aide testing positive for coronavirus.
Later that night, the president revealed that he and the first lady had tested positive for the coronavirus.
The president, then admitted to Walter Reed after needing oxygen, and his doctors lied and misled the American public about his condition.
As the president made the decision to leave isolation, exposing Secret Service agents during a COVID parade to wave at supporters.
And then in the last 24 hours, the president decided to stand on a balcony, without a mask, and videotape a message to show that he is doing just fine, even as he struggled to breathe, as he escalates misinformation and downplaying of the virus.
And this morning, a new CNN poll shows Joe Biden has opened up a 16- point national lead over the president after that first debate.
And you can add this to the list. Tomorrow night, on CNN, the only vice-presidential debate of 2020. Mike Pence and Kamala Harris face- off with special coverage starting at 7:00 Eastern.
[14:00:04]
ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.
KEILAR: It is the top of the hour. I am Brianna Keilar.
